Juventus arrived at the San Siro on Wednesday on the strength of a 3-0 win over Inter Milan in the first leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final.  All they needed to do was hold that lead.  Score a goal away from home, and they would force Inter to score five.  Given the way Juve dominated Inter in league play at the weekend, Juve were expected to cruise through.

But as the poet Robert Burns said, “The best-laid plans of mice and men go oft awry.”

Massimiliano Allegri got his tactics wrong from the get-go, and Inter took advantage of a questionable call by referee Andrea Gervasoni to get into the game early.  Another early one in the second half breathed real life into the tie, and when Gervasoni pointed to the spot with eight minutes left, Inter completed their improbable comeback to force extra time.

An ill-tempered affair full of yellow cards and cramping legs ended up going to penalties after Pablo Carrizo pulled a fantastic double save against Alvaro Morata in the game’s last 10 seconds.

When the chips went down, the winning mentality fostered at Juve for the last four years finally shone through.  All five of their penalty-takers buried their shots, while Rodrigo Palacio put Inter’s second into the crossbar.  The Nerazzurri protested, but Gervasoni confidently pointed to his watch, assuring them that the San Siro‘s goal-line technology had indicated that the ball did not cross the line.

Let’s take a look at some of the winners and losers in a wild and wacky game.

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